Red Hot Chili Peppers Biography

Red Hot Chili Peppers Members:

Anthony Kiedis

Michael Balzary (AKA Flea)

John Frusciante

Chad Smith

Formerly: Jack Sherman, Jack Irons, Dave Navarro and Hillel Slovak

The Red Hot Chili Peppers Get Their Start

The Red Hot Chili Peppers' were formed in 1983 when Anthony Kiedis and Flea (real name, Michael Balzary) who had met in high school, decided to start up a band. Soon Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons joined the guys and began doing gigs around L.A. It was not instant success, but The Red Hot Chili Peppers did become well known for their crazy stage antics and bizarre clothing. The Red Hot Chili Peppers had an ever-changing list of members for a while and in 1988, founding member Hillel Slovak died from a heroin overdose.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers Hit It Big

A year after Hillel Slovak's death, the Red Hot Chili Peppers hit it big with the release of the CD Mother's Milk. After that the Red Hot Chili Peppers released the wildly successful Blood Sugar Sex Magik, which had mainstream hits like Under the Bridge and Give It Away. 1999's Californication was another huge hit. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' were also honored that year with a Video Vanguard Award. Today the band is made up of lead singer Anthony Kiedis, "Flea" on bass, John Frusciante on guitar and Chad Smith on drums.